Car-haul.



PATENTED FEB. 12, 1907.

C. W. MILLER.

OAR HAUL. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 9, 1906.

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PATENTED P313512, 190?.

0. W; MILLER.

GAR HAUL.

APPLIOATIOK FILED JAN. 9, 1906.

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UNITED STATES PATENT @FFllQlil.

CHARLES W. MILLER, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOB TO JOSEPH A. JEFFREY, QFCOLUMBUS, OHIO.

CAR-"HAUL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 12, 1907.

Application filed January 9, 1906. Serial No. 295,304.

the following is a specification, reference heing had therein to theaccompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in hauling apparatus of the classadapted both to propel and to control the travel of cars along grades.

It relates particularly to such a system in which a flexible endlesscable or chain is extended around a c rcuit, along both the uploadingand douuileading paths of which the travel of the cars is controlled bycar-engagir-g elements carried by said draft device and each of whichnormally projects upwardly therefrom along both of said paths.

The object of the invention is to provide simple and efficient means forguiding the cabie chain from one run to the other in such mai or thatthe car-engaging attachments thereon will maintain the same relaticnthereto along both the uprun and downrun and will not be permitted toturn and twist the cable at the points where its course of travel isdeflected.

The invention is particularly applicable for use in connection with anendless chain or cable haul having secured thereto and carried therebycar-engaging attachments which are mounted upon antif ictioi rollers a lwhich are adapted to be supported upon that run along guide or trackways provided along the up and down runs of the system.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus sheave. Fig. 5 is a sectionon the line 5 5, Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a plan view or a portion of one ofthe sheaves which is adapted to deflect the cable while maintaining thecar-en gaging elements or arms thereon transverse to the plane of thesheave. Fig. 7 is a section on the line 7 '7, Fig. 6.

In the drawings, A represents as an entirety the endless cable or chaindraft device;

B B, a pair of cooperating car-engaging attachments thereon C, a carhaving an attachment engaging elements C, and D the mechanism throughwhich power is applied for actuating the endless draft device.

E and F represent conventionally-disposed parallel traclm'ays arrangedfor the greater part of their length at an inclination to thehorizontal, and the former directing the travel of the uprunning carsand the latter directing the travel of the downrunning 0&1

As my invention does not pertain to the apparatus and the arrangement ofparts as an entirety it will not be necessary to here give a detaileddescription of the same, and the parts hereinbefor referred to aresimply shown for the purpose of illustration.

The attachments B B are arranged, as liereinbeiore referredto, in pairs.tachments B comprise a two-part cable-gripping element or clamp 1,separable on longitudinal lines and supported by fourantifriction-rollers 2 and an upwardly-extending yielding arm 3. Theantifiictionqollers 2 are mounted at i'icnt and rear on either side ofthe said clamp. The upper part of the clamp has upright webs or walls 4,supporting an inclined top wall 5. The yielding arm 3 is pivo allymounted between the said upri lit walls 4, as indicated at 3, and it isnormally pressed upward into engagement with the top wall 5 by means ofa flat curved spring 6, having one end secured to the upper sui e of theupper part of the clamp and its free end bearing against the undersurface of the said yielding arm. The attachments B likewise consist ofa twopart longitudinallpsepai'able clamp 7, two pairs ofantifriction-rollers 8, and an arm 9. This arm 9, however, is eitherformed integrally with or is rigidly secured to the top part of theclamp. Q 9 are wearing-plates secured to the upper end of the arm 9 andare adapted to engage with the attachment or arm C on the car.

10 10 indicate guide-rails arranged adjacent to the uploading anddownloading runs of the cable and at either side of the vertical TheatlCC plane of travel thereof and adapted to be engaged by theantifriction-rollers on the cabletrucks in their travel.

At the lower end of the system the cable is deflected or guided fromitslower run to its upper run by a guide sheave or wheel 12. In mostsystems, as in the one here described, this guide-sheave at the lowerend of the system is arranged beneath the trackways for the cars at thispoint and is slightly inclined to the horizontal. It is essential thatthe cable-trucks be guided from the downrun to the uprun in such mannerthat they will not turn out of position and twist the cable, since it isnecessary that they should nor mally travel along both runs with theirarms or dogs extending upwardly. The guiderails 10 10 for theantifriction-rollers extend to a point closely adjacent to the sheave12. The periphery of this sheave is recessed at intervals, as indicatedat 12, in order to receiv'e'the cable attachments or trucks, and betweenthese recesses cable-guiding teeth 12 project alternately from one sideof the wheel and then the other in the well-known manner.

13 are plates detachably secured to or formed integrally with the undersurface of the sheave 1-2 at the recesses 12 therein. These plates forma bottom wall for the said recesses and extend from the inner wall ofthe recess outwardly a distance equal to the width over all of thecable-trucks. It will be seen that as one of the said trucks leaves thelower end of the guides 10 10 on the downrun and enters one of therecesses 12 in the sheave its antifriction-rollers on either side engagewith the upper surface of one of the truck or attachment supportingplates 13 in such manner as to prevent the truck from turning andtwisting the cable, The trucks travel around in this condition in therecesses in the sheave 12 until they start on their uprun, when they atonce engage the guide-rails 1O 10 therealong.

The vertically-disposed sheaves at the upper end of the system, whichare indicatedby 14, 15, and 16, are all of the same construction, sothat only one of them need be described. Thus the sheave 14 is providedwith recesses 14 at intervals about its periphery, which are adapted toreceive the cable attachments in the well-known manner, and betweenthese recesses the periphery of the sheave preferably carries thealternately-disposed cable-guide teeth 14. 16 16 are guide-plates havingtheir outermost surfaces transverse to the plane of the wheel and eacharranged at either side of the wheel and each extending across one ofthe recesses 14 therein. These guide-plates may be formed integral withthe wheel, or they may be rigidly and detachably secured in positionthereon in any desired manner.

Each one of them extends laterally a. sufficient distance to be in theplane of travel of the antifriction-rolls on the cable-trucks at i thatside of the sheaves, and as the cabletrucks enter the recesses theantii'rictionrollers engage with the laterally-projecting guide-platesand are by them held from turning and twisting the cable. The guiderails10 10 for the antifriction-rollers are at the upper end of the systemlikewise carried to a point in close proximity to the-peripheries of theguide-sheaves for the cable, so as to insure the proper directing of thecabletrucks onto the sheave 14 and from the sheave 16 onto thedownrunning guides.

The operation of these cable-attachment engaging and guiding devices onthe sheaves will be readily understood. As each attachment or clampleaves the guide-rails 10 10 and enters one of the recesses in theperiphery of the adjacent sheave it is engaged by a suitable plate or bylaterally-extending ribs or flanges carried by the sheave and isprevented from turning and twisting the cable. So, too, as theattachment leaves the sheave to pass onto the guide-rails 10 10 it isproperly directed thereon with its car-engag1ng element or elementsprojecting upwardly.

I am aware of the fact that in earlier endless-cable haul systemsdevices have been provided for preventing the turning of the cableattachments as they are deflected by a guide wheel or sheave from one oftheir paths of travel to another in order to prevent the twisting of thecable-such devices, for example, as are shown in Patents Nos. 93,361, ofAugust 3, 1869, to Smith; No. 788,861, oi May 2, 1905, to Wagner, andNo. 722,951, of March 17, 1903, to Damron. In these earlier devices,however, the attachments are kept from turning by means of a stationaryguide-rail, with which they engage and which extends concentricallyaround the periphery of the guide-sheave and closely adjacent thereto;but in these earlier devices frictional resistance and wear and tearoccurs between the said stationary guide-rail encircling the sheave andthe parts of the cable attachment with which it engages. It will benoted that in my construction the cable attachment engaging and guidingdevices rotate or travel with the cable-deflecting device and that inthis particular they are essentially different from the earlier deviceswhich are intended toperform substantially the same function.

I make no claim to the arrangement of parts shown in the drawings forapplying power to the endless draft device for actuating it, as Ibelieve the same to be the invention of Archibald WV. F. Steckel andshown and described in his application for patent, Serial No; 269,873,liled July 15, 1905. Where the drive is thus eflected. it

will be noted that guide-rails 10 10 should eXtend from the sheave 14 tothe powerapplying sheave 17 and from the latter to the sheave 15. Thepower-applying sheave 17 should be of construction similar to that ofthe sheave 12 and is so indicated. The sheaves, with the plates orguides extending transversely from either side thereof at thecable-truck-receiving recesses, are adapted to deflect the cable whilemaintaining the car-engaging arms carried by the trucks in the sameplane as the sheave, while the sheaves with the cable-trucl -supportingplates arranged only at one side of the recesses there 11, are adaptedto deflect the cabie while maintaining the car-engagim arms on the cableattachments transverse to the planes of the sheaves.

lVhat I claim is- 1. In a car-haul system, the combination. of anendless draft device arranged to travel around a circuit having apathway for upward-moving cars and a pathway for return ordownward-moving cars, supporting and guiding devices for said endlessdraft device arranged to deflect it and to direct it from one to theother of said pathways, a carnga ing element carried by said draft deve, an moans arranged to engage with and to travel with said car-engagingelement while it is being deflected from one of said paths of travel tothe other to prevent it from turnin and twisting the cable.

2. In a car-haul system, the combination of an endless draft devicearranged to travel around a circuit having a path for upward-moving carsand a pathway for return or downward-moving cars, supporting and guidingdevices for said endless draft device arranged to deflect 1t and directit from one to the other of said pathways, means for guidin said elementalong the said path-- ways, and means arran ed to en age with it and totravel with it whileit is bei gdeflected from one to tl e other of saidpa hways to prevent it from turning and twisting the cable.

3. In a car-haul system, the combination with an endless draft devicearranged to travel around a circuit having an upleading and adownloading path of travel for cars, of car-engaging elements secured tosaid endless draft device having upwar lly-extendmg arms adapted alongsaid upleading and downleading runs to be maintained above the endlessdraft device at all times and to control the travel of the cars alongboth of the said runs, means for deflecting the endless draft devlcefrom one path of travel to the other, and means for engaging saidcar-engaging eloments as they leave one path of tray c1 and fortraveling with them and directing them to their other path of travel andproject "upwardly along adapted to prevent their turning or rocking outof position between said paths of travel.

4. In a car-ha 1 system, the combination with an endless draft devicehavin an "opleading and a downleading path or travel, carengagingelements carried by said draft device having arms adapted to normallyboth of said paths of travel and to engage and control the movements ofthe car therealong, and deflecting devices for directing said endlessdraft device from one of its paths of travel to the other, of giidingdev ces adapted to engage said carengaging elements and to travel withthem from one of the said paths of travel to the other so as to maintainthem in their 1' pright positions and to prevent their stringing out ofthe same and tr isting the cable.

5. In a car-hail system, the combination with an endless draft devicearranged to travel arornd a circpit having an 1' pleading and adownleading path of travel for the cars, a series of attachments carriedby said draft device and having car-engaging elements adapted to controlthe travel of the cars along both their rpward and downward paths oftravel, each of .said elements being for this pzrpose maintained inripright position along each of said paths, and rotary gliding mechanismfor deflecting said encless 0 rrier from one of said paths to the other,of means. carried by said guiding mechanism for preventing the tirningof the said attachments while they are traveling thereon and fordirecting them from one path of travel to the other so that theircar-engaging elements remain above the endless draft device along bothof said paths of travel.

6. In a car-hail system, the combination. with an endless draft devicearranged to travel aroi'nd a circi, it having an {pleading andadovvnlcading path of travel for the cars, and a series of attachmentscarried by said endless draft device and having car-engaging elementseach adapted to at all times project upwardly from said endless draftdevice and to control the movement of the cars along either of saidpaths of travel, of rotary devices for griding said endless draftdevicefrom one of its paths of travel to the other, each of said rotar deviceshaving grides adapted to engage with the attachments on the saiddraftdevice and to prevent their tiirning and tv 'sting the cable whilethey are being directed frcm one to the other of said paths of travel.

7. In a car-hail system, the combination with an endless draft devicearranged to travel fLYO'jllCl a circi it having an uploading anddownloading path of travel for the cars, and a series of attachmentscarried by said endless draft device having car-engaging elements eachadapted to extend normally upward from the draft device along both itspaths of travel, of guide-sheaves for directing said endless draftdevice from one path to the other, each of said sheaves having gnidesarranged to engage with the said attachments on the endless draft deviceand to prevent their turning and twisting the cable as they pass fromone to the other of said paths of travel.

8. In a car-haul system, the combination with an endless draft devicearranged to travel around a circuit having an upleading and downleadingpath oftravel for the cars, and a series of attachments carried by saidendless draft device having car-engaging elements each adapted to extendnormally upward from the draft device along both its paths of travel,

of guide-sheaves for directing said endless draft device from one pathto the other, each of said sheaves having recesses adapted to receivesaid attachments, and gt ide-plates arranged at the recesses and adaptedto engage said attachments and prevent their turning and twisting thecable as they pass from one to the other of said paths of travel.

9. In a car-haul system, with an endless draft device arranged to travelaround a circuit having an upleading and downleading path of travel forthe cars, and a series of attachments carried by said endless draftdevice having car-engaging ele ments each adapted to extend normallyupward from the draft device along both its paths of travel, ofguide-sheaves for directing said endless draftdevice from one path tothe other, each of said sheaves having a series of recesses around itsperiphery adapted to receive said attachments on the draft device, and aseries of guides arranged at said recesses and adapted to engage andsupport said attachments and to prevent their turning and twisting thedraft device as it is deilected from one to the other of said paths oftravel.

10. For a car-haul system having a single the combination endless draftdevice arranged. to travel around a circuit having an upleading and adownward-leading path of travel for the cars and carrying car-engagingelements adapted to be maintained normally above the said draft devicealong both of its paths of travel, a sheave for deflecting the course oftravel of said endless draft device having a series of recesses arrangedto receive the car-engaging elements on sa'd draft device, and a seriesof guides arranged at said recesses and adapted to engage the saidcar-engaging elements and to ble draft device as it is deflected in itscourse of travel by the sheave.

11. A sheave for directing the course of travel in a car-haul system ofthe endless draft device with a series of car-engaging eleprevent theirturning and twisting the fleXi- 3 ments thereon, said sheave having aseries of recesses arranged to receive the car-engaging elements on thesaid draft device and a series of guides arranged at said recesses andadapted to engage the said car-engaging elements and to prevent theirturning and twisting the endless draft device as its course of travel isdeflected by the said sheave.

12. A sheave for directing the course of travelin a car-haul system ofan endless draft device having a series of car-engaging elementsthereon, said sheave having a series of recesses about its peripheryarranged to receive the car-engaging elements on said endless draftdevice, and a series of guide-plates l each arranged at one of saidrecesses on the under side thereof and adapted to engage thecar-engaging elements on the said endless draft device and to preventtheir turning and twisting the cable while their course of travel isbeing deflected.

13. A sheave for directing the course of travel in a car-haul system ofan endless draft device having a series of car-engaging elementsthereon, said sheave having a series of I recesses about its peripheryadapted to receive the car-engaging elements on said endless draftdevice, and guides arranged at either side of and longitudinally of eachof said recesses and adapted to engagethe said car-engaging elements ateither side thereof while they are on the sheave and their course oftravelis being deflected, in order to prevent their turning and twistingthe cable.

. 1 1. In a car-haul system, the combination with an endless draftdevice arranged to travel around a circuit having an upleading and adownleading pathway for the cars, and a series of cable-trucl s carriedby said endless draft device and having car-engaging elements normallyextending upward therefrom along both of said paths of travel, of

\ guide-sheaves for deflecting the course of travel of said endlessdraft device from one to the other of said pathways, each sheave havinga series of recesses adapted to receive said cable-trucks, and a seriesof guide-plates adapted to engage with said trucks and prevent theirturning and twisting the cable while the course of the endless draftdevice is l being deflected.

15. In a car-haul system, the combination of an endless draft device,supporting and guiding devices for said endless draft device arranged todeflect and direct it from one to the other of its paths of travel, acable attachment secured. to said draft device, and means arranged toengage with and travel with said cable attachment while it is beingdeflected from one of said paths of travel to the other to prevent itfrom turning and twisting the cable.

16. In a car-haul system, the combination of an endless draft device,supporting and guiding devices for said endless draft device, its pathsof travel to the next to prevent it a cable attachment secured to saiddraft defrom turning and twisting the cable. I vice and having an armadapted to be main- In testimony whereof I affix my signature tained inupright position to engage a car 5 in presence of two Witnesses.

While moving along the paths of travel of CHARLES W. MILLER.

said draft device, and means arranged to en- Witnesses:

gage with and travel With said cable attach- I FRANK H. CHURCH,

lnent While it is being deflected from one of g S. J. l/VHITE.

